and tonight, "nightline" anchor cynthia mcfadden is there, where after four days, the community is shaken. cynthia? >> reporter: good evening, diane. every massive tragedy has within it a whole series of smaller ones. one such played out behind me, though, that staircase led to a house, where a mother, father and 13-year-old girl lived. only the mother survived. staten island is a whole series of stories, just like that one. in staten island today, a cry for help. >> we're going to die! if we get killed with the weather, we're going to die! we're going to freeze! we got 90-year-old people! >> reporter: this woman pleading with government officials for gasoline, food and clothing. >> you don't understand. you've got to get your trucks here on this corner now! it's been three days! >> reporter: this is one of the hardest hit communities in torque city. thousands still without power, many homeless. 19 people dead. in devastated neighborhoods overwhelmed by a violent surge of water, residents describe a supersized wave, as high as 11 20 feet. >> it was coming in rushing like rapids. >> report